Wyoming Football: News and Notes Ahead of Spring Practice

LARAMIE -- While all the chatter of late revolves around the recent departures of a pair of starters, Jay Sawvel Thursday said his focus is on the additions this program made this offseason.

Wyoming welcomed 17 new transfers this winter, including a dozen new faces on the defensive side of the ball.

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That unit needs a revamp.

It's getting one, beginning with a pair of veteran linebackers Ethan Stuhlsatz (Lindenwood) and Brayden Johnson (Oklahoma Baptist).

Those two, who tip the scales at 225 and 235, respectively, will be tasked with replacing departed seniors -- and the Cowboys' leading tacklers -- Shae Suiaunoa and Connor Shay.

The secondary is also getting a major facelift.

Sawvel and Co. brought in four new safeties and a cornerback, BJ Inmon, a sophomore from Snow College. Wyett Ekeler and Isaac White, two stalwarts on the last line of defense, exhausted their eligibility. Cover corner Tyrecus Davis is still looking for a soft landing spot on the open market.

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Edge rusher Sabastian Harsh announced he too would be entering the portal last week. Sawvel said he picked up on some "smoke signals" in January and decided to go all in, inking three veteran defensive ends -- Esaia Boger (Riverside City College), Dawan Martin (Youngstown State) and Brayden Wilson (Weber State).

Two more rookies are also on the way this summer. Freshman Axel Ramazani, who ironically is the cousin of Harrison Waylee, who also left the program last week, is already on campus, though currently limited by a hip injury.

Sawvel has only seen these newbies wearing gym shorts. That will change next week when spring practice opens in Laramie.

What are his early impressions?

"I've been very pleased with, you know, we added 21 new players mid-year," Sawvel said, also referring to a handful of freshmen who enrolled early. "I don't have a buyer's remorse on any of them right now, so I'm very happy about that. That's from a physical standpoint and a maturity standpoint. There's not anybody in the process that you're looking at and saying, you know, the guy's not fast enough. I've been happy with that group."

There are more to come, too.

Sawvel plans to be active in the spring portal window, which opens April 16 and comes to a close on the 25, just 24 hours ahead of the Cowboys' annual Brown and Gold Spring game inside War Memorial Stadium.

He plans to bring in another running back, maybe two. He's looking at a wide receiver. He needs to find a punter.

An additional 21 rookies will also arrive this summer.

The fact Harsh and Waylee bolted, Sawvel added, doesn't change the path.

"That's not the end of the world," he said. "This part of 2025, I'm not going to complain about it, either. The biggest key that we've got to do now is hold on to the rest of the people that we've got."

Here's some other news and notes from Thursday's press conference:

* Sawvel wants to keep the core of this team intact, but admitted one additional departure before spring practice kicks off next Tuesday is imminent. That player is not leaving for NIL purposes, but instead a desire to be closer to home because of a "family illness."

* Who won't be available this spring? Sawvel laid out all the latest injury news Thursday, starting with offensive linemen Nate Geiger (knee), Quinn Grovesteen-Matchey (shoulder) and Luke Sandy (knee) will be limited over the 15 allotted practices. These decisions, the head coach added, are mainly precautionary. Defensive tackle Jayden Williams had foot surgery in January and wide receiver Eric Richardson recently tore a pectoral muscle. The staff is also holding senior running back Sam Scott out of spring workouts. Sawvel said there are still residual effects from a bone bruise he suffered on his knee last fall. Wyoming knows what the 6-foot-2, 230-pound bruiser brings to the table.

* Three additional players, aside from Harsh, Waylee and the one Sawvel failed to name, have left the program recently, according to a source familiar with the situation. That includes a pair of locals, linebacker Nic Talich (Cody) and offensive lineman Abraham Bangoura (Laramie). Fellow lineman Dante Gavito is also gone.

* Sawvel reiterated Thursday that he is not worried about the running back room, which has taken a big hit over the last six months. Waylee is on the open market. So is Jamari Ferrell and Dawaiian McNeely. DJ Jones left the program for personal reasons after the completion of the non-conference slate. He never returned. "Look, we like Sam Scott, we like Nico Hamilton," he said. "There's a reason we went and got Terron Kellman (Charlotte). There's a reason that we're going to add another back and there's a reason we signed three freshmen." Sawvel said he will carry eight running backs this fall instead of the typical six.

* Wyoming's opening-day tilt with Akron has been moved to Thursday, Aug. 28. Sawvel said he loves having the additional time to not only rest, but prepare for a home meeting with Northern Iowa the following Saturday. "It gives you a couple extra days in advance of your second game, which always needs to be a big improvement marker anyway," he said. "So, I think all of that is really good."

* Will Sawvel and Co. prepare for Air Force this spring like Craig Bohl used to do? You bet. He was also quick to mention that the Cowboys and Falcons have hooked up in the Mountain West opener in three of the last five seasons. Not this year. These two Front Range foes will instead hookup on Oct. 18. Wyoming also has its first bye week on Sept. 27. With so many new faces on defense, Sawvel said he needs to get this group gelling and playing together, first and foremost. "We have to make sure we allocate enough time just to get them to play, you know, the standard brand of football that we're going to have to play," he continued.

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